Machine for plaiting shirts



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE..

WELCOME WHITAKER, OF TROY, NEW YORK.

MACHINE FOR P'LAITING SHIRTS, 85C.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 5,923, dated November 14:, 1848.

T 0 all whom t may concern Be it known that I, IVELooME IVHITA- RER, ofthe city of Troy, and State of New York, have invented a new andImproved Method of Plaiting or Folding Linen or other Cloth forShirt-Bosoms or other Purposes by Machinery; and I do hereby declare thefollowing to be a lfull and exact description, the drawings annexedmaking a part of the specification.

The nature of' my invention consists in providing two metallic plates orfolders, placed in a parallel position attached to slides, and moving bylevers, on ways and so regulated by stops, adjusting and set screws asto let the folders alternately, pass above each other to the desireddistance, to give the proper width to the plaits, or having alternatelywide spaces to suit the pattern.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my said invention Iwill proceed to give a more particular description of its constructionand operation.

Drawings referred to Figure I, an isometrical view of the machine; Fig.II, one of the slides bottom upward.

A A, two metallic folders, the principal instrument in folding theplaits; their movement is up and down, as well as longitudinal; andInustbe uniform and parallel to affect which they are attached (see Fig.II,) by screws to the head piece of the sliding frames B B, which arekept in their places by ways or guides c, c, 0,0, both in front andrear. The metallic plates or pads projecting downward from the rear endof the head piece, having the same object (viz.) the parallel positionof the two fo-lders in all their movements.

E, is a strong. frame, or bed piece, on the top of which are fastenedthe aforesaid ways or guides, and against which, on the back the pads DD, have an easy bearing. F, F, the handles or levers (represented bydotted lines, and slightly shaded) passing across, and resting on, thetop of the bearers -G, Gr, and are attached by screws to the under sidesof the cross pieces of the upright frames T, being, also, attached tothe iron straps I-I H which turn on iron pins at the other end of thebearers. I, I, strong iron hooks, inserted in the bearers, and passingover the levers, and Lby 'means of which the folders vand the forwardends of the slides are raised. J, J, the spring stops are made fast tothe under side of the subslides K K, and are adjusted by the slo-tsv L L(see also Fig. 2.)

m, m, are catches to hold the spring stops in their working position andto remove them when not used. N, Fig. 2, a small spiral spring to act onthe catch m. O, a metal plate or fixed stop near the front end, on theforeside ofthe head pieces. P P, adjusting screws, by which, and thespring stops, the width of the plaits are regulated. f

g, g, a pair of set screws to make firm the spring stops while inworking position. R, e

the table on which the work is performed, covered with thick cloth,extending from vfront to rear, andas wide from right to left as thefolders can traverse. S, S, two

tenter rods, suspended on the arm of the upright frame T, to one ofwhich the edge of the cloth is'hooked, and to the other the weight, w,is applied, to keep the cloth in a of linen of proper dimensions andslip one edge under the folder on the left hand, (as I stand between thelevers facing the machine) hooking the other edge to the tender rod S,and placing the counter weight fw on the other rod -in such position aswill deliver the cloth without wrinkles to the folders, betweenthe edgesof which the cloth is suspended in a perpendicular position. I then,with the lever, bring the right hand folder up, just raising it on tothe cloth, and sliding it forward, till the adjusting screws, on theright, touches the spring stop on the lift. Then pressing'fthis folderdown to hold the cloth; I slip back the folder on the lift, from underthe other Then raising it plait will be Wider in the same ratio.

alternately, I proceed to make the narrow plaits as above; then, byremoving the catches, -I raise the spring stops above the. point ofcontact with the adjusting screws, in which case the fixed plates, onthe fore side of the head piece, will act as stops; and, as the foldermoves over a wider space, tile T e spring stops are now brought underthe catches and the narrowplaits resumed, and, so on, alternately, tillthe pattern is complete. l

Note: When the left hand folder is on the top, the end of the right handadjusting screw, invariably passes under the left hand stop.

What I claim as myhinvention and desire

